A Heart's Desire

Chapter 11

  Why is he such a beautiful human?? That stare though! You have to wonder what he's gazing so sinfully at.

Eva would always remember the pivotal moment her life changed forever. The moment she decided to help Kellan, against what all common sense told her to do. The moment she lied to the police for him. The moment she realized that attraction could actually be fatal. As evening rapidly approached, she considered her options. What was she going to do?

Kellan was leaving. She was no use going with him, but staying behind left her in an even worse position. She needed safety but had no clue where she was going to get it. She also wondered how Kellan was going to get out of the city unseen. There were cameras everywhere. If someone was really trying hard to find him, it wouldn't take long. As she pondered these things, she meandered about the house constantly checking the doors and peeking out the windows. Paranoia had set in hard.

Kellan was no better. He was prowling about the house, limping heavily, and using anything and everything he could get his hands on as a crutch. Eva tried to ignore him but his presence was too strong. He filled the room, his masculine scent invading her space. She frowned at him as the end table creaked from where he leaned his weight on it.  "You've looked out that window eight times," she said crossly, "There's nothing there."

He looked up startled a moment. It was the first time she'd spoken to him or uttered a word in hours. Then he frowned. "They could be there," he said softly, "Waiting in the shadows; hidden and unseen by you or me."

He crossed the room toward where she sat in an armchair sewing up the rip in his pants as quickly as her deft fingers could move. "They could be out there right now," he repeated, "And we're sitting in this house. I have no weapon, and no way to protect you. We would both be at their mercy."

Eva smiled mysteriously. "You may not have a weapon, but I do," she answered matter-of-factly.

"What you going to stab Sullivan with a knitting needle?" Kellan asked sarcastically, "Or throw a ball of yarn at his head."

Eva groused at him but reached in the knitting basket he was gestulating so animatedly towards and felt under the balls of yarn. Kellan fell silent as she pulled out a smooth shiny Glock G43 nine mm pistol.

"Where did you get that?" he asked cryptically.

"Oh come on," grumped Eva, setting it down on the table and pushing it toward him along with a box of ammo, "This is Mississippi. Everyone either owns a weapon or knows somebody with one."

"Do you have any papers on it?" asked Kellan, picking up the weapon with ease and surveying it with practiced eyes.

"No I picked it up from my aunt's stepson who sells meth in his free time on the street corner," answered Eva sarcastically, "Of course I have papers on it. What do you take me for? I saved your life and this is the thanks I get."

"Look I'm sorry," answered Kellan sheepishly, "Habit."

Eva rolled her eyes and tossed his fixed pants at him. Quickly, he pulled them on over his black boxers and tucked the loaded gun in the back of his pants, pulling his shirt down over it. "Any more hidden weapons I should know about?" he asked.

It was Eva's turn to be sheepish. "There's a rifle in my bedroom closet," she answered, "And a shotgun in the laundry room."

Kellan looked at her with opened eyes. "Know how to shoot?'

"Every single one of them," she answered and he knew it gave her great satisfaction to say that, "And I'm good at it."

She wasn't bragging either. While her father had no interest in hunting, he made sure his children were well-versed in weapon safety. In a perfect utopia the need for a weapon would not exist. But the world was no utopia, and Canon Wilde made sure his little girl would not be defenseless. She'd go down with a fight if she went down at all.